grier



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

RICHARD GILL AND- GEORGE XV. GRIER, OF ALTOOA, PENNSYLVANTA.

FURN'ACE OF STEAM-BOILE-RS.

Specification of Letters Patent' No. 27,442, dated March 13,1860;

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that we, RICHARD GILL and GEORGE W'. Grunn, of Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Furnaces of Steam-Boilers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, represents a vertical longitudinal section through so much of'a locomotive boiler as will show the application thereto of our improvement, and" Fig. 2, represents a transverse vertical section through the same.

Similar letters in the separate figures denote like parts ofb the boiler or furnace in each.

0n the 26th July 1859, Letters Patent of the United States, were granted to us, for' a water deflector, having a series of small openings through it, and an air passage be hind or` over it which communicated with the external air, for the purpose of introducing atmospheric air in small jets over the re for promoting the combustion of the volatile products, or gases which would otherwise be lost.

The subject matter of ,our present invention consists, in making this combined airchamber, and deflector, of solid material, without a water space around and between the air holes or perforations which convey the air down upon the fire.'

In so far as the introduction of the atmospherio air, in small ets, and immediately over the fire, or escaping gases, where they are most heated, and consequently in the best condition to be mixed with the air, and ignited, our present invent-ion does not diier from that heretofore patented by us. But, as our former patent restricted us to a water deiector, and possibly to its special application to the furnaces of locomotive boilers, we now desire to claim the same general principle as applied through a deflector that may be made of solid material-that is to say, without the water space, and as applicable to steam boilers generally.

A perforated deflector, simply, we are aware is not new; such have been used over the fire, but the perforations so used were for the gas evolved from the fuel to pass up through, to its exit, or to a combustion chamber above the deflector, and not for the atmospheric air to pass through', down to the fire. le believe we are the first to combine an air chamber, with a perforated deiector, so as to bring and mix the atmospheric air with the volatile products of combustion immediately over' the lire, so that the gases may be consu-med at the point where they rise, and where they arev in the very best possible cond-ition for rapid ignition. And if we are the first to do this, then in combining the perforated defiector with the air chamber or passage leading to the external air, we do not wish to be limited to making one or the other with water space in them as that is not material to the general principle though it may be found in many cases economical.

Having thus fully stated' the characteristics of our invention, we will proceed to describe the same as applied to a locomotive boiler, its application to other steam boilers,

will be readily comprehended by any mechanician.

A, may represent the fire box, in which is arrangedV the combined air chamber and deflector B. This defiector may be made of metal or of lire brick, and may be supported on braces a, a, secured to the sides of the lire box, so that it may be removed or replaced when occasion should require it; and it may be made in one piece,` or in sections, as may be preferred The base or bottom part B,

of the deflector may stand near the rear portion` of the fire box, leaving an air passage C between it, and said rear portion of the fire box, which may be furnished with acover or door o, of any kind that will admit the air in desired quantities, to supply combustion of the gases. In some boilers this opening b, and air passage c, could not be conveniently had, and then the opening may be at c, which is also provided with a cover or door CZ, for admitting and regulating the admission of air. The deflector rises upward and projects forward in the fire box, as shown in Fig. 1, and is better when concave on its under side both in regard to strength, as well as to have its air openings (which may be holes or narrow slots), pointing toward the center of the fire, though we do not confine ourselves to this shape. The portion B, of this deflector is furnished with many small holes, or narrow slots, so that the air that is carried down through them may be separated into small jets or thin sheets in which condition it takes up more oxygen, and is more readily heated, and the hotter it is before it mixes with the gases below, the more rapid will be the ignition of the gas. The portion B", of the deflector may be solid, and sufficiently high above the portion B, to which it is united at e, to leave an air chamber or passage between them, which is, or may be a continuation of the passage C.

D, D, are arches made of brick or other material and without water space in them. They may however be perforated with small holes or slots in order to give increased surface for maintaining the temperature, and

to serve as igniting points for any portion of the gas that may not have entered into combustion before arriving at this point. They are placed a short distance below the crown of the fire box, so as not to prevent the heat from arching on the said crown, and may be supported on suitable braces secured to the sides of the lire box. These arches can of course be dispensed with without in any injurious manner affecting the function of the deflector. And should it be necessary to furnish additional atmospheric air to the escaping gases it may be done through a perforated plate and detlecting partition (as shown in red in Fig. l) arranged in the door E, which will let in the air just where the gases would rise to pass up and over the deiiector.

'Ve find that it is best to burn the gases where they are generated, but sutlicient air cannot be got in the burning mass to do this, and hence we do the next best thing, and that is to burn it where it rises, and as close to the fire as possible. To carry it to a combustion chamber, with a view of there mixing it with oxygen suflicient to burn it is fallacious. There is neither time, space, or

heat enough left, after it is thus taken to a combustion chamber to mix and ignite it., and under such circumstances the admission of air is a positive evil.

The form and position of the deflector, so

as to leave abundant flue space F between its forward end e, and the front of the fire box, gives room and space in which to mix the air with the gases before the latter looses any of its high heat, or becomes cooled in any injurious degree. And we thus in fact, make a combustion chamber immediately over the fire, so that the gas can be burned where it rises from the burning fuel, and without first conveying it to any place or chamber remote from the fire.

The admission of the atmospheric air in as close proximity to the fire as possible is a leading characteristic in our invention, and the development of this principle is the chief cause of our success over all previous attempts in admitting air for the purpose of combustion. XVe introduce a larger quantity of air to be mixed with the gases than would be practicable (except by a similar plan), and we also secure the greatest practical amount of fiame surface over the fire, as at every point where the oxygen enters into the furnace the degree of heat is so intense as to insure its chemical combustion, and consequent conversion into iiame, at each of the said points of contact, of which there are or may be about 1200, evenly distributed over the lire.

Having thus fully described the nature and object of our invention what we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- A deflector composed of two walls B, B", which inclose an air passage C between them, and when the wall B is furnished with openings, and the wall B" is tightv-and both projecting forward over the lire, and. when constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

RICH. GILL. GEO. WV. GRIER.

Vitnesses:

BENJ. F. CUSTER, WM. BOYDEN. 

